A wide variety of container lids, both metal and plastic, have been designed to provide evidence of package tampering and to provide visible evidence that a container has been opened or partially opened. Such lids generally comprise an annular body with a closed end adapted to fit over the mouth of the container. The lids may include a sealing mechanism for engaging the top or side or outside edge of the container mouth to seal it to the container. Some such lids utilize a tear-away strip which is connected to the cap and which must be removed before the cap itself can be removed. Such security strips serve the purpose of providing visible indication of tampering, but they are often difficult to apply to the container using conventional, high speed filling machines and the lids themselves are not easily or economically made. To overcome such disadvantages, lids have been designed with a tamper-evident ring or band members which are secured to the cap. In theory, such bands are broken away from the cap by rotation of the cap in the direction of opening. A large number of such designs have been produced commercially, but they have not been satisfactory because they are not always reliable and they don't always indicate the existence of a broken seal. In other situations, containers with conventional caps applied thereto have been covered with shrink wrapped plastic. Although this is effective, it is not only expensive, but requires additional packaging steps which requires additional equipment and space.
The criteria for an ideal tamper-evident package is as follows:
1. Consumer must clearly see that package is tamper-evident/resistant.
2. Package must eliminate nuisance and/or mischief problems at store levels.
3. Package must be resistant to unsophisticated efforts to open and tamper with it in store.
4. Package must be reclosable at user level with sufficient seal to preserve freshness in home storage.
5. Package must be adaptable to current high-speed filling systems and distribution methods.
6. The method to open package must be relatively simple.
7. Package, if opened, must show clearly that it has in fact been opened.
8. Costs must comprehend alternate methods to achieve a tamper-resistant/evident package.
9. Package must meet FDA and health department standards.
The prior art has addressed some of the criteria. Prior art which addresses some of the foregoing criteria is as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,066,708 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,601,273 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,199 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,511 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,771 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,976 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,175 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,479 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,304 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,718
The tamper-evident lids of the present invention overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and fulfill the criteria listed above for an ideal tamper-evident lid.